Homeward Bound

E. Martin Hennings, Homeward Bound, 1933-1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.62
Copied E. Martin Hennings, Homeward Bound, 1933-1934, oil on canvas, 30 1⁄4 x 36 1⁄4 in. (76.8 x 92.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.62

Artwork Details

Title
Homeward Bound
Artist
Date
1933-1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
30 1⁄4 x 36 1⁄4 in. (76.8 x 92.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Landscape — river
  • Landscape — mountain
  • Travel — land
  • Indian
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New Mexico
Object Number
1964.1.62
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1964.1.62

Artwork Description

E. Martin Hennings's painting for the Public Works of Art Project portrays two Native Americans from Taos Pueblo: a man wrapped in a traditional white blanket and a woman wearing a colorful shawl. This serene painting speaks of the deep love Hennings felt for Taos, New Mexico, where he was a leading member of the artists' colony. His subjects walk quietly through the snow together as the sun sets behind them. In works like this, Hennings created poetic visual connections between the people of Taos and the stunning high desert where they lived. Here the artist contrasts the man's warm blanket, lit by the golden sunset, with the cold covering of snow on the ground, cast into blue shadows by the hills in the west. Hennings links the two figures to their home landscape by likening them to the tall native sunflowers standing against the sky with their long stalks gracefully intertwined. While many PWAP artists documented timely scenes of the Great Depression, Hennings chose to celebrate the continuity of local traditions.

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Related Books

1934_500.jpg
1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.